Tails in the Mist
by Kaito92
Summary: While on guard duty, a very bored Naruto meets an unknown girl. She asks him if he will leave with her. There is more to this girl than meets the eye. Will Naruto leave the Village Hidden in the Leaf?
1. Chapter 1

Hi, so it was REALLY late, I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to just type something, so I did. Anyway, let me know what you think. If you like it, review, cause otherwise I won't know and if I don't know, I will think you don't like it and never update it. So...as everyone else says, **I do not own Naruto**. If I did, Sasuke would be dead, Itachi would have a much bigger spot in the story and Sakura would listed highly in other nation's bingo books to name a few. And yes, I know it's short and rushed, but as I said, it was late, I was suffering from sleep deprivation and couldn't sleep.

**_Kaito_**

* * *

Kakashi slowly rose from his crouched position. Team seven's first jounin mission had been a success; but of course, Naruto just had to get himself knocked out. The pastel haired girl of the team sighed, "It's always him."

Sai poked the blond with a stick, "Hey, dickless, wake up." Silver bangs shook with their leader's head as he wordlessly lifted the boy before heading back towards their beloved village.

"I finally found you." The words caressed the pinkette's ears causing her to spin around, tense and ready for her unknown enemy's attack. Her eyes narrowed, "Sakura! Let's go!" another voice called.

"Coming!" she replied before twisting on her heels to reach her group.

* * *

A busty woman stared at the single, luminescent senbon in the glass jar. Her eyes narrowed, there was only one village in the ninja world that could create these, let alone have ninja who could wield them. After much contemplation, she spoke, "Shizune. Assemble the Elders."

"H-Hai. Tsunade-sama."

* * *

It had been a week since they had returned and Naruto had been placed on guard duty today. He groaned, "No one EVER comes to the east gate!"

"Is that so? This place was quite the center of attention last time I was here."

The feminine voice reached his ears, causing the blond to bold into a sitting position as he took in the girl. She had bright red hair pulled back into a high pony tail. A pair of black chopsticks with white designs painted onto the wood had been placed delicately through her hair as white ribbon hung loosely with her hair. Vibrant scarlet eyes locked with his own blue hues, her right eye covered by long bangs kept separate from the rest of her pinned locks. "Who are you?" he asked in awe.

The slit pupils within those crimson orbs made his hair stand on end. "I'm like you Naruto-san, only more so." That's when it clicked, the girl before was not human, she was a fox. She grinned, revealing pearly white fangs, "Anbu-san, there is not use hiding. I surpassed you many a year ago." The girl's tone hinted at her age and to the boy's surprise, the elite ninja did as he was bade. "You may inform Tsunade-san that I am here and that as the agreement stood with the Fourth, he shall come with me." Her eyes never left the blond as the other ninja nodded before disappearing.

"I won't go with you." He stated defiantly. "This is my home and I don't even know who you are."

His glare was met with a simple smirk. "Now, now, Naruto-san. Let's talk about this before you say such things. Are you open to that?" He nodded his compliance. "Excellent, Tell me, what is your dream?"

"I'm going to be the Hokage! Believe it!" his excitement was obvious.

She smiled, "That's a very big dream, but you have the tools to reach it." Naruto beamed. "However, isn't there an ex-teammate of yours who you claim that you will not take the role of Hokage before saving?"

"Sauske…" Blue eyes grew dark at the mention of his friend.

She paused for a moment, "Now, he is with the pedophile snake man. Tell me what happened the last time you fought him?"

The boy flinched at the memory. "I lost control."

Her eyes softened, "That's a hard thing to experience."

"How would you like it if you could be in control?" She turned slightly, giving him a better view of her left arm. "Do you see this?" she questions as she pointed to the collection of lines. He nodded, "This is my seal. It's how Aisu remains safely locked away." Here the strange female paused. "The difference betwixt us, is that I am a master of my fox and you – you are merely the container for yours."

* * *

**_Well? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know if you want this to be continued or if it should be burried deep underground, never to rise and the absolute worst few minutes of your life was taken up in reading this. _**


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! So in less than 24 hours this story had a 124 views? That is really cool! Thanks! You all are awesome! So here is Chapter 2. :)

**I do not own Naruto.** If I did, Itachi would come back and smack that endless smirk off Danzo's face.

**I do own:** My characters and my concept.

**Spoiler Alert! **Okay, so if you haven't read the Manga up to chapter 512. Then you will not know of some of the events that take place here. I appologize, if Spoilers bother you, but if they do, I ask that you go read the manga. Thank you.

~Kaito.

* * *

_The strange female paused. "The difference betwixt us, is that I am a master of my fox and you – you are merely the container for yours."_

_

* * *

_

"Tsunade-sama! She's here." The masked ninja told the busty blond, who in turn twisted in her chair to stare into the faces of the prior Hokages. She rolled the small scroll around in her hand, before tossing it to the anbu, with the unspoken orders to deliver it. The small poof alerted her to the return of solitude.

'_What will you do Naruto?'_ she thought to herself, shaking her head miserably at the thought of losing that joy in her life. "Sakura, you may come out now."

The blushing pinkette appeared from behind the bookcase. "I'm sorry Shishou, I know I shouldn't be listening in, but who is she?" Curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Slowly, the chair turned back to face to the girl and brown orbs met jade. "Haruno, what would you do if Uzumaki left?" By her tone and calculating expression, the now 17 year old, held her tongue. After a period of silence, the blond spoke the dreaded words, "You are required to answer."

"He's leaving to train again isn't he." was her simple statement, though her expressive orbs held the sorrow she felt. "I would remain here and continue to improve myself under your tutelage."

Nodding, Tsunade dismissed her student, before pulling her hidden sake out of her book.

* * *

The boy in question wandered the streets aimlessly. She was right, he was simply a container and even though he had managed to save the village when Pain attacked, it wasn't enough. He had still felt he needed the fox's power and could have caused even more damage to the village. What if there was an even stronger enemy? Sure, after his training with Killer Bee, he had some control over the Kyuubi, but was it enough? There were still times he felt that the fox would take him over. It scared him that she knew him so well. _'Sasuke…'_ the name floated through his mind, he was supposed to come back after killing his brother, but he never did. He joined the Akatsuki instead. As for Orochimaru, he was dead wasn't he? But the way she spoke of him. _"Can you truly control yourself if you see him again?"_ those were her words. "Wait!" he yelled as he stopped in front of the Hokage Tower, not caring who was around, "You never told me your name!"

Said girl laughed as she sat before her old friend hearing the boy's words. "You never told him who you were?" the Hokage asked bewildered.

"Of course not Tsunade-san, what fun would that be?" Crimson orbs were bright with her amusement, before her gaze became serious once more, "Now, we both now that he will search me out. What are the Leaf's terms?"

The elder Koharu made herself known at this point as she unrolled the scroll, "We the Village Hidden the Leaves shall allow you to take Leaf Ninja Naruto Uzumaki under the following terms. First and foremost, the ninja in question must wish to leave. Second, you shall return him either when you deem him ready or when two years have passed; whichever comes first. During the time in which Uzumaki is gone, Kohana and Kaiten shall enter into an alliance. The terms of this alliance shall hold as the following. If the Village of Kohana is attacked, Kaiten shall agree to send four of your Shinobi No Mono to our aid. Failure to meet these terms shall result in Kaiten ninja Silver Kayou, transferring her ninja status to her former village of Kohana. Do you accept these terms?"

"Ah Lady Utatane, let's add something shall we?" the red head retorted, "Also during the course of this alliance, The Village Hidden in the Leaves shall not search for the Village of Kaiten, nor their ninja Naruto Uzumaki. They further agree that they shall not summon Uzumaki back to the village before the allotted time ends. Should the Village Hidden the Leaves breach this agreement, the Village of Kaiten has full right to rid you of your ANBU Root. Do you agree to adding that?"

Danzo glared at the girl, "You dare to threaten us with that?"

She smiled softly, "Now, now Danzo. If anyone will even try to break that part of the agreement, it will be you. As you are responsible for the ANBU Root, I feel that placing your head on the table is wise course of action." The elders glanced at each other, before nodding as the elder Koharu scribbled in the addition. This action alone effectively shut up the man.

"I wish to add one more thing." All eyes turned to the busty blond leader. "Sakura Haruno shall join Naruto Uzumaki. During her stay she shall learn any medical skills needed to care for Uzumaki."

Hiashi Hyuuga quickly rose from his chair, "Lady Tsunade, do you honestly wish to send two of our ninja to live with those monsters…those things?" his teeth were clenched as he fought back his anger. The Haruno was a close friend to his eldest daughter and the thought of her leaving was not appeasing to him.

"Things?" the girl questioned him cautiously, making him bite his tongue. "If I may be so bold as to correct you, the Village of Kaiten is a village of Ninetailed Fox, not things as you claim. As for your concern of monsters, there are no monsters in Kaiten, simply fox. If anything is a monster, as you so claim, it would be me, as I am half human and half fox." She allowed her fox ears to appear as she spoke to the Hyuuga with a smirk. The man planted himself heavily back in his chair, the glare never leaving her smirking face. "Lady Hokage, make it five years and you have deal." The blond contemplated for a moment, before nodding her consent. The fox child took the scroll from the elder, ensuring that all changes had been made correctly, before pricking her finger to sign her name in blood with her claw. Tsunade then repeated the process. "The agreement has been made." Silver looked at her right palm and saw the simple black outline of the seal. Glancing over Danzo, she noticed that he had one to match. "If you have the seal, you are a part of the contract and should it be breached, the punishment shall take effect instantly. You may wish to inform your Root members as to why they suddenly have a new seal." The elders took this as their cue to leave. "Tsunade-san, are you certain you wish to send your apprentice with me? I will try to protect her, but I cannot assure you that she will return alive. You know our rules on spars."

The blond nodded, "She would remain her physically, but her heart would be with Naruto, since her parents died, she's been closely bonded to him. At one point she asked me to adopt them both!"

Laughing softly, the fox nodded her understanding, "You do know that when she returns she will be a force to be reckoned with."

"Maybe you'll rub off on her enough that she'll learn some control of that temper." They both laughed knowing that her temper came from none other than the Lady Hokage.

* * *

Naruto sat in his apartment staring at the small scroll, "I'm sorry Sakura, but I have to do this." he said aloud, as he released the seal.

* * *

The small silver bell hanging from the black choker glowed softly, "Uzumaki accepts. Brief Haruno and tell her to meet us at the East gate at dawn." the girl beckoned before fading away.

* * *

**So there it is. Silver Kayou is a character of mine from a book I'm working on that I got the idea for from the Naruto manga; however, it is not a fanfic. It's a totally different world. Anyway, I decided that since the whole "half fox thing" would fit here, that she would work instead of creating a new character. As for the Kyuubi...Getting there, first, a setting must be established, then we get to Kyuubi. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey! So I would have updated sooner, but I was slammed. I am currently in a location that has very little Internet access and absolutely no cell signal. So without the distractions of my life in general. I am planning to write...a lot. So from day one of my solitude, here is chapter 3. It focuses a bit more of Sakura, but just wait, chapter 4 lets you finally get to see Silver's village. Enjoy! :)**_

_**~Kaito**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Shippuden, the anime, or manga. In fact the only thing I do own here is my story concept and my characters of Mai, Silver Kayou and Ari. If I did own Naruto, there would be a lot more interest of Naruto towards Hinata and then a whole Hiashi/Naruto mental battle would ensue. Simply because I think it would be awesome to see Hiashi use Neji to prank and trap Naruto, while Naruto unleashes his full arsenal of pranks on Mr. Hyuuga.**_

_The small silver bell hanging from the black choker glowed softly, "Uzumaki accepts. Brief Haruno and tell her to meet us at the East gate at dawn." the girl beckoned before fading away._

The morning mist blocked out most signs of the approaching dawn, yet the birds still chirped their morning tune to those who would listen. The spiked blond hair bobbed through the film of grey. Chestnut orbs pierced through the haze observing the incoming figure. Cerulean orbs met with the illuminated spheres. Coming closer, the fog revealed the boy as well as a young red fox. The animal lifted its head to reveal a hunter green collar with a silver plate holding one word. "Mai?" the golden haired boy questioned. The now identified vixen nodded in reply. "So I should follow you?" A red tail twitched as her chestnut orbs lit with amusement for a moment, before returning to a neutral expression as she looked deeper into the mist behind him. Tailing her line of sight, he saw the large pink blob approaching. "Sakura." he whispered.

The Haruno had long forgone her black, red and white attire. She had grown cocky since her induction as a jounin. Now she wore pink baggy pink shorts and a pink tank top with a dark pink sash holding her hitai-ite1 around her midsection. Bandages appeared sticking up slightly through the tank top and then wrapped around her biceps. To finish her new look, were her signature black gloves, now matched by short black shoes with black ribbon winding its way up to her knee. "Naruto." She greeted calmly. The vixen now stood, shaking off the dew that stuck to her fur from the fog. She motioned to the pair to follow her, before heading out of the village.

"Why are you here?" he finally questioned once they were a decent ways from the village.

"Tsunade sent me to study as well." was her curt response.

The boy stopped in front of her, "Do you even know where we are going?"

The pastel haired girl glared at him, "I know all I need to know Naruto." He seethed before taking off after the fox.

"Well, that went better than I expected." a new voiced claimed, amused. Sakura spun around to stare at the red head. "Silver Kayou, I'm responsible for your survival at my village. I will be training Naruto and will be placing you under the care of my cousin. Ari is also my personal medic, you will be trained by the best; however, she will not teach you combat. If you wish to improve in that area, you speak with me. I also advise that you do not challenge anyone in my village. You would be killed." the girl explained before moving ahead to catch up to her new student. "Uzumaki." the half-kit called as she approached, causing the blond to stop.

"They'll kill her!" he yelled at his new sensei. He knew what den they were entering, Kyuubi had informed him already.

She sighed, "It's possible." she admitted. "However, so long as she doesn't do anything stupid like challenge anyone, she will survive. They can't touch her outside of a spar and I cannot ban her nor them from challenging. For her sake, hope she refuses." Naruto stared at her, he knew as well as she did, there was nothing either of them could do. It was all up to Sakura to ensure her own safety. They both looked behind them to see the quickly approaching figure of color. As the Haruno joined the pair, she was about to ask them what they were talking about, but was quickly cut off. "Let's go." the fox girl told them before moving.

**_

* * *

_**

Notes:

**_The technical term for the ninja forehead protector._**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, but I'm at the beach right now and my inspiration returned so here it is!  
~Kaito**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own my characters and plot line. Thank you.**

* * *

"_Let's go." the fox girl told them before moving._

* * *

The half kit stopped near the edge of a cliff. Turning around, she waited on her two human companions to catch up. It had been a rather quiet week of ceaseless travel. The pair of pink and blond planted their feet in front of her and she couldn't help but giggle as Naruto collapsed onto his back while Sakura's knees gave out. There was no doubt that neither of them had ever traveled like this. "I'm impressed." she stated, earning exhausted glares. "You have been surviving on adrenaline and soldier pills since we left. Even your Fourth Hokage fainted by day four on this exact trip from the whole concept of no sleep."

"The Fourth?" the blond questioned uncertainly, all signs of wear slowly leaving his figure as his mind grasped the concept.

Silver smiled, "Yes, the Fourth. Now, let's get you two to a bed shall we?" The pinkette jumped to her feet at the thought of sinking into a dreamless sleep, but quickly regretted it as the world began to spin. "Haruno, you can't simply enter my village." Removing the bell from her neck, she swiftly tied it into a choker on the girl. "I have been channeling chakra into this for the last week. It will identify you as a friend and actually let you enter." Here the red head grinned mischievously as she took a flying leap over the edge of the cliff.

"Wait!" the pair yelled in unison, fearing that she would go crashing to her death as neither could see the bottom of the cliff.

The Kayou laughed at the pair as she seemed to stand on nothing but air, motioning them to come forward. Sakura seemed to catch onto the game. _This is nothing more than a genjutsu._ She quickly set about making the hand signs to release it. "Stop." came the firm warning. "First you must walk to me." The pinkette cautiously placed a foot over the edge, feeling solid ground beneath her feet, she crept slowly towards the girl ahead.

"Sakura! You'll fall!" Naruto cried out, still not grasping the situation.

Swallowing her laughing fit, "Just walk on out Uzumaki." Silver called. He looked at her like she was insane, before following his teammate's example and heading towards their new sensei. Once they arrived next to her, she turned around before making one hand sign with her right hand, "Kai." she stated softly, before a harsh wind blew passed them causing her human companions to shield their eyes.

Naruto heard his friend gasp and he couldn't blame her, they were now standing on a stone walkway and barely twenty yards before them rose black iron doors. He edged his way along the path, staying close behind their guide. They came to a smaller set of doors, only about 12 feet tall, within the larger doors. He had known she was not fully human, but now he had his proof. Silver Kayou took a moment to release her fox traits before opening the door. On her head sat a pair of fox ears, her blood red eyes became even more feral as her slitted pupils became more defined, whiskers found their way to her cheeks, incisors grew into fangs and nails lengthened into claws.

Sakura darted behind Naruto, she had never seen anything like this before. She couldn't even begin to define the medical concepts behind creating something like the girl before her. She was half fox and it scared her. "So Tsunade-san didn't tell you." the half-kit stated as she stared at the girl. "Taishu is a village of Nine-tailed Fox. Naruto is here to learn how to control the fox sealed within him and you are here to learn the medical knowledge required to keep him alive should he do something incredibly foolish."

The Haruno backed up from the pair, "The Kyuubi killed my father!" she yelled.

Silver sighed, "It seems there is only one way to do this." She flexed the claws on her right hand and they began to glow, then she slammed them into the blonde boy's gut before pulling her arm back and throwing something at the door. Naruto fell to the ground unconscious as the pinkette stared in horror. Slowly rising from the ground was a smaller version of the Kyuubi. "Now, you will listen to the truth." the half-kit told the Haruno.

The fox shook its fur seeming to relish the feeling. "It is good to feel the ground with my own paws, Hime." The girl nodded to him with a smile. "Now Ms. Sakura, for your information. It was not my choice to attack your village. I was being controlled by one whose name I shall not mention now. He has a great deal of anger towards your village and attacked my host at her weakest moment, unsealing me and forcing me to kill. I hope that by the time you return to your village you will have a new-found respect for my kind." with that he nodded and began to turn, but was stopped short by cough.

"You're forgetting your host." The Kyuubi dropped his head in defeat as he turned to retrieve the boy. "Now Sakura. Are you going to enter easily or do I have to force you within my walls. The agreement between the villages requires me to teach you the medical knowledge you will need for Uzumaki, and it is against our nature to go back on an agreement." The pinkette nodded before following the trio inside the iron gate.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he woke up. He felt like he'd been asleep for years! Slowly his eyes rolled open only to come face to face with a red muzzle. The blonde jumped from the bed and clung to the hanging lamp from the ceiling. "Get down from there before you break something!" the fox yelled as Naruto heard cracking and quickly let go of the lamp, dropping back down to the bed. The red fox sighed and shook his head. "You're lucky I'm not allowed to kill you."

"Who are you?" asked the human.

"I'm hurt you don't recognize me boy." the fox grinned, sharp teeth showing proudly. "One would think you would recognize the one who had been sealed inside you for 17 years."

"Kyu-Kyuubi!"


	5. Chapter 5

**_Sorry guys! Would have liked to get this out sooner. My laptop had some issues and had to get fixed. Anyway...here is a short chapter 5 seeing as it is after midnight and I have an 8 a.m. class. So, hope you like it!_**

**_Again: I am using and plan to use any info I feel is needed from the manga. So there is always the chance for spoilers up through the current released chapter._**

**_I do not own Naruto: if I did, the Land of Snow would have an artic fox summoning pack._**

**_~Kaito_**

* * *

"Kyu-Kyuubi!" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the nine tailed fox before him. "I thought you were bigger."

The fox shook his head. "Normally that would be true; however, you should be grateful to the Hime for simply unsealing a physical form. My chakra remains within you and if I kill you now, it will never return." he explained with a growl. "Now come. Our presence is requested."

The blonde followed the fox out of the room into a large hall. Not paying attention, he tripped over his guide landing with a thud on his face. Kyuubi glared daggers causing Naruto to laugh nervously. "Haruno." the fox called to the door.

"Let her sleep. I need her fresh." came a feminine voice. Naruto turned his head to a light red fox with vibrant green eyes. She was smaller than Kyuubi and only had six tails.

"Ari, suffered a few deaths have you?" the fox grinned. She then huffed as she turned stalking off.

"Come on kit." Kyuubi called as he turned down a different hall.

"Wait up!" Yelled the blonde as he ran to catch up.

The Uzumaki gapped at the room he was in. It was almost as large as Kohana itself! He felt something soft pick his jaw up from the floor and force it back into a relatively normal position. "I suggest you don't do that, you may just get yourself killed by someone that isn't me." growled the Kyuubi.

"Don't be so hard on the child. I do believe he is in shock that someone could actually be skilled enough to build such a magnificent room." Ari reprimanded the elder fox gently. "Naruto-san, this room was built by our ancestors, in the past our kind was unable to shrink their form. To remain civilized and able to house visitors from other nations, they created this room as a meeting place. As part of tradition all meetings of the Council must take place in our true form."

"So you mean to say that you can all get really big?" Naruto questioned.

Ari sighed hopelessly and Kyuubi glared. "Yes, we can obtain a much larger size." she stated. "Sakura, you may come out now." The pinkette stepped out from behind a column sheepishly. "I was going to let you rest more; You will need your strength."

"I couldn't sleep. I take it that you are Ari?" the fox smiled and nodded at the girl.

"Glad to see you all know each other now." came a voice which was quickly followed by a figure dressed in red.

Suddenly Kyuubi pounced the approaching girl. "What is your plan here? Releasing only a physical form for me! I am unable to fight without my chakra!"

Silver twisted her body around using her hands as levers allowing her ram the heel of her boot into the incoming fox's belly. "You can never be released by our kind. That was part of the contract with the Leaf to which you willingly gave yourself."

"That was before that Uchiha took control of me!" he ground out harshly. "He ruined everything!" He took a deep breath as his ears laid flat, "and he killed her." he breathed softly.

The pair of humans froze and stared wide-eyed at the two. "Kyuubi-san, please come with me." the girl stated softly as she turned back towards the direction she come from. The fox followed her out quietly.

"Ari-san?" Sakura questioned still shaken by what she had just heard.

"It's nothing dear. Now, will the both of you follow me? I believe that the two of you would like some sustenance."


	6. Chapter 6

**School is out! :D Okay, so now that I have time on my hands, I should be able to continue this! This chapter focuses more on Sakura than Naruto, he will be more in the next chapter, but I wanted to get some facts out about the Ninetailed Fox and their medical knowledge, how things work, etc. before I get on with the action. So, Enjoy!**

**Thanks to everyone who has Liked, Faved and/or reviewed this!**

**~Kaito**

**I do not own Naruto! If I did, I would revise some of the medical facts...wait...I just did that! :)**

* * *

"Why haven't you killed that man already? You know how much of a threat he is!" Kyuubi growled.

The girl let her head drop, "It's more complicated than that."

"It's your position to remove all threats to our kind and if-"

"I know that!" she barked. "What you don't understand is that my seal has weakened considerably. If the boy sees me, the seal will break and our village will be compromised. I'm not willing to risk the safety of this village to kill my uncle!"

* * *

Naruto sat in his seat patting his stomach with a contented smile while Sakura shook her head at the sixty now empty ramen bowls. "Naruto-san, are you finally done?" their vixen guide asked.

"Hai Ari-san. It was amazing!" he replied rubbing his belly.

The fox shook her head at the act, "Glad you enjoyed it. Now, Sakura-san and I shall be leaving you here. Silvy-chan will come get you shortly, I do advise that you do not leave this room. With Kyuubi-san removed from you for the time, there are many fox here that would not hesitate to kill you." Both Naruto and Sakura froze. "We have been betrayed by humans in the past and seeing as we live much longer than yourself, mistrust lasts longer." The fox then turned from the pair and headed toward the door, "Come along Sakura-san."

Shaking out of her stupor at the gravity of the situation they were in, she jumped to her feet and followed the fox out. "Ari-shi, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

The vixen chuckled a bit, "I assumed your curious mind would have you asking many things, but I had thought you might already know a bit about us. I, myself, am nearing the age of 278 in your human years, yet I equivalate to roughly that of 38. My kind generally lives to the age of 1,000 years, or the loss of our tails, whichever comes first."

"Your tails?" the pinkette was highly confused now as she studied her new sensei and noticed that she only had six tails. "Do you lose your tails if you die?"

"In a way, it's more of the concept of if we suffer an injury that will kill us, we lose a tail and all the chakra stored within that tail moves to heal the injury. Our tails store chakra independently of our own network simply for that purpose."

Sakura stared at the fox wondering how it was even possible to have a limb that was independent of the chakra network. She had always learned that the chakra network helped even with simple tasks such as walking, which is why even civilians has a chakra network. This concept went against everything she had ever learned. "How?"

"I will teach you many things during your five years here. Some of which will make you question your own knowledge and skill. We shall start with the independent chakra network." The fox replied as they neared the white doors to what looked like a medical building.

Once inside, the girl was immediately greeted by the sound of "Good Morning Ari-senpai!"

"Good morning, my fellow fox." the vixen replied, "I would like to introduce my new kohai, this is Sakura Haruno. She is here as part of an exchange with the Hidden Leaf Village, by order of the Hime, she is not to harmed. She also asks that you do not challenge her as she wishes to return the girl safely to Tsunade-san and we all know Silvy-chan's views towards Tsunade-san."

"Hai, Hai." came the reply from the group as they went back to work.

"Ari-shi, would you rather I call you sensei?" Sakura questioned the fox.

Green eyes sparkled, "So long as your manners remain in tact, you may call me whatever you wish." The pinkette nodded as she followed the fox to a door. "Stay close to me at all times, the staff will do as I ask, the patients, may try to kill you." The vixen, took this moment to change forms, now standing before her was a slim red head with green eyes and a small smile wearing a green vest that showed her white bindings and a black skirt with tall black boots. "You're still wearing the bell Silvy-chan gave you." it was more of a statement than a question."

"Hai, Ari-sensei."

It seemed that overnight, the girl had adapted to her situation, she was no longer afraid of the fox, nor the many things they were capable of doing, the red head smiled, she was liking this human already. "Good, never take it off. Silver's chakra will keep you safe from most here." And with that said, they walked through the door to see their first patient and begin the pinkette's internship.

* * *

**Well? What do you think? Let me know! I'll try to get the next chapter out sometime in June, but got some stuff going on first, so we shall see.**

**Honorifics:**

**-shi is used when speaking to an authority that you do not know.**

**-senpai as you may recognize, is used when refering to your senior.**

**kohai is used when refering to a junior**

**-sama is in reference to someone with a much higher rank than yourself.**

**sensei of course is teacher.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry! I was planning to get this out sooner...but I started on it, got busy, forgot about it, remembered it, had no inspiration, forgot about it again and then finally wrote it. Hope you like it!**

**Again thank you to all who have liked/faved/commented on this story. :)**

**~Kaito**

**I do not own Naruto. But I do forgive ****Kishimoto Masashi for his killing of Itachi now that I understand how the story continues.**

* * *

"Naruto." the voice called as the girl he was waiting on arrived in the door way. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Hai, sensei." he replied as he stood, the girl raised an eyebrow at the change in attitude. He was subdued; however, she simply nodded before turning and leading him out of the building. As they wandered the streets the blond finally broke the silence, "Silver?" she flicked her fox ears back towards him to acknowledge him. "Will the fox here really kill me?"

The red head stopped and turned towards him, as did the few fox in the area. "Yes Naruto, they would and it wouldn't even be your fault. After all, you were only a mere child when Kyuubi was sealed within you."

"Then, why?" he asked, still very quiet.

"Because," she smiled softly, "They believe you know how to release him, but instead want to use his power for yourself." Then the girl grinned, "However, when I am finished with you, that will be different, but Kyuubi may enjoy working with you then." With that said, she continued down the road.

Naruto stood there for a moment, processing what she had said, 'Hey! Wait up!" he yelled after her as he ran to catch up.

* * *

"Again!" the red head demanded. Naruto panted heavily as he slowly rose from his position and charged at her once more. When they had arrived he had been expecting her to teach him some new jutsu or something like that, but when they reached the training fields, she said, "Kill me." He had thought she was serious and had gone about trying to talk her out of suicide. Now, he understood why she had said that. The blond threw a punch at his new sensei and as expected she caught it, allowing him to use the momentum to swing himself and bring his right leg up towards her head. The smirk was the only warning he had before he found himself falling to the ground again. The girl standing a decent ways back. "You're slowing, but you seem to have grasped the concept." she stated. He gaped at the girl, they had been out since morning and now the sun was setting. She had done very little in terms of fighting all day, simply prefering to doge.

"We've been out here all day! I haven't eaten since morning!" he yelled at the girl, who simply smirked in amusement.

"Oh?" she glanced at the sky, "Is it that late already?" she mused. "Naruto, tell me, what have you learned."

His ranting stopped when she asked this, looking at her once again. He had learned a lot from his time with the toads and being able to analyze things, he was able to understand exactly what had she was refering to. "I need to pace myself." he replied.

The girl smiled and nodded in response. "You now understand what happens when you just go straight for your powerhouse attacks first." she confirmed refering to the morning when he had immeadiately tried to attack her with a rasengan and then followed it up with a few rasen-shuriken, all of which she had blocked.

"How did you block me?" he questioned as he stared at the ground. It was nagging him, there were very few people able to completely block that jutsu and he was now wondering exactly how 1) she was able to block his jutsu, and 2) she did so without even a twitch.

Black boots appeared in his vision, causing him to look up at his new sensei, "You are familiar with sage chakra correct?" he nodded. "So you are familiar with the process of pulling the chakra around you into your own system. I did the opposite. I pushed my chakra out. This created a barrier which took the full force of your jutsu. It's impressive that you created such a dangerous weapon at such a young age." she praised. He was about to ask another question, but she stopped him, "Before you ask, I'll show you." she started raising one finger and pointing it towards a tree to his left. "Chakra can be condensed into a solid form that is harder than most substances." he saw the long spear shoot out from her outstretched finger and through the tree she was pointing at, before disappearing. "It's quite a simple process, but it takes time to master." she mused. His round orbs and open mouth spoke volumes. "I can teach you how to do that, but first you must improve your chakra control. We will continue this exersize until you can you maintain reasonable strength for this length of time. Only then will you be ready to continue." she told him before turning and starting to leave the training ground.

It took him a moment, but he fell to the ground twitching when he caught on. Leaping from his date with grass, he yelled after her, "Hey! I have to starve again!" she just continued to ignore him, causing the blond to run after her.

* * *

**I know it's short, but I wanted to get something up for you all. I shall try very hard to get the next one up by this time next month. I tried to write a fight scene, but it just didn't work out so I re-wrote it. I will figure out how to write one eventually, but not for this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ah! I feel like such a terrible person for not updating this in so long! *begs for forgiveness* I have a stats test on Thursday so I'll be a bit busy until then, but after that I will work on the next chapter which will have some action in it (finally) since I went to asia and have been inspired since we got to see some martial arts in action. It was awesome! I know this is short, but that's all I could put together right now, since I really should be studying.**

**~Kaito**

* * *

_Red hair raced past him with a happy laugh. "Itachi, you're going to have to try harder if you want to catch me," a childish, female voice giggled. Looking towards the voice, he could only see gleaming red eyes in the darkness. He felt as though this was familiar, but didn't remember a red haired Uchiha. He assumed she was a relative based upon the scarlet orbs. Wind blinded him momentarily as the scene changed. He was now reliving the massacre. "Why Itachi?" the orbs begged for answers as tears ran down the blurred face. He knew there was something he had said at this scene, but couldn't recall what. "You didn't have to do this! You could have told me! I would have helped!" she screamed at him. He never once tried to harm her. Slowly she stood, "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely before he felt pain rack his body. He saw Madara approaching as he fell backwards. Then everything went black._

The figure bolted upright, panting heavily. "It was her again," a strong tone stated. The figure nodded, as the lights were turned on. Madara Uchiha, true mastermind behind the Akatsuki, stood right inside the doorway. "Tell me about it," he ordered. Long, black hair shielded the face of the dreamer. "Itachi," the leader warned, earning a sigh out of the younger man.

Leaving the room, the old Uchiha turned towards his relative's partner, "It is time. Find her."

The blue skinned male nodded, before they were interrupted by another, "I already found her and the Kyuubi is with her."

A violent grin racked his face, "We attack Kohona at dawn."

* * *

"Hime!" a voice yelled urgently across the field, causing the girl to throw the blond into a nearby tree. "They attack at dawn."

The girl's eyes widened, "Assemble team 3 and tell them battle ready, in my office, fifteen minutes." The messenger nodded before vanishing. "Naruto, go get breakfast, find Kyuubi and stay with him until I return. Am I clear?" She was on edge, something big was going down and he could only gulp and nod in reply.

Sakura sat on one of the rooftops. She had grown more comfortable here in the last year and the fox were much more receptive to her now. The pinkette didn't need constant protection in the village now. The bell in the village center rang three tolls and immediately, the village began to stir. That bell had never rung, something big was going on. The hime raced towards the bell tower and Sakura followed.

The crowd had amassed in just a few minutes and all were silent as the red head began to speak, "My uncle has finally made his move. This means that the seal is weak and should it break our village will be compromised. For this reason, I order all civilians, elders, children and those unable to fight to temporarily move to Taishu with the council. Kaiten will be the base of operations until this threat is resolved. They plan to attack Kohana at dawn. We will not let them reach it. My team and I will plan to end it this threat swiftly, but should error occur, be ready. This is the village they know how to find if the seal is broken. Make your plans and be certain to remove all traces of our other villages. Dismissed!" The crowd vanished a quickly as it came, Naruto and Sakura stood frozen in the center of the court yard. "Ari, tend to them," Silver told her cousin, before disappearing.

"What's going on Ari-sensei?" the leaf ninja questioned.

The fox shook her head, "We must get you both somewhere safe, then I'll tell you what's going on." Sakura grabbed the blond's arm before following her sensei. It wasn't long before they were sealed behind a large stone wall and joined by the Kyuubi. "It is time you learned the truth. Silver's human side places her as the daughter of Tanrei. Are you familiar with this name?" The humans shook their heads, "I thought not, Tanrei was from both the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. To form stronger bonds between the two clans, they tried to produce offspring with both their bloodlines. Tanrei was the only child who survived the mix. Madara was her half brother, because after the girl was born, both clans gave up on producing further mixed bloods. Tanrei was the owner of a white sharingan. She married the Kayou clan leader, he of course, was a fox. Neither thought offspring were possible, but when Silver was born, his heritage came out. As such, Madara is her uncle. He is the leader of the Akatsuki. He is the one who forced the Kyuubi to attack your village and now he's after her. She lived in Kohona for a time. She was raised by Sasuke's parents and was about Itachi's age at the time. He knew her secret and he's the only human still alive who knows how to get here. She found him that night and sealed his memories of her, but she was still new to seals at the time and it has been weakening for years. If he sees her, our village is compromised. Madara is acting now because the seal is in prime condition to be broken. He attacks your village, to draw her out. He will not harm your village if she intercepts him, and she will."

"Can't he control your kind with the sharingan?" Sakura asked.

Ari nodded, "Yes, but the team she took fights blind. If he can't make eye contact, he can't control them."

"Do you know their plan?" Kyuubi questioned, displaying his worry.

"Silver will take on her uncle and the rest have been assigned their opponents. Once the seal breaks, Itachi will be out cold for 60 seconds. If I can reach him, during that time, I can remove the information from his mind," the other fox understood, but the blond didn't completely. "I am a clone, Naruto. Seals are my specialty. That is why Silver assigned Sakura to me for training. That is why Minato came here to study seals when they learned that Kushina was pregnant with you. The jutsu your father used the night he died was one he learned from the Kayous. He was told not to use the jutsu, but he did anyway to save the village."

* * *

**Expect the next chapter within the next two weeks. I will have it done and we will finally be able to see Silver and her team in action. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Surprise! I actually started writing this much sooner than expected (should have been studying). So here is the next chapter. This battle should take place over the next few chapters since...well...you'll see. :P**

* * *

"He draws closer." a male voice chimed in over the radio. She knew exactly where he was and he knew she was there. She also knew the second he sent Itachi out ahead of the rest to scout. What he didn't know, what how much her skills had grown since they had last fought. Madara had been there the night of the massacre. He knew she could have stopped him and delayed her. At the time, she knew little about optimizing the abilities of her fox heritage and they had come to a draw. She had been in Kohona to learn about her eyes and with her training complete, her departure was immanent. The Uchihas never wished for her to leave, she was valuable and to prevent her leave, they had decided to hasten their time line. They're previous plan had been to get Itachi into the Hokage position and they were working on procuring marriage between the Fire Daimyo's and one of the elder's granddaughters. Then they were going to dis-ban the council. It would have been a very easy take over, but they wanted more. They wanted her bloodlines. It was no secret that her offspring would be powerful. All the fox were; they were the strongest of the tailed beasts. They wanted to harness her as breeding stock. She knew this and knew she had to leave regardless. She had known she would move to Kaiten as soon as her training was complete. She knew the day they elected her hime.

The Uchihas weren't the only ones who wanted her. Madara was a sick man. He wished to use her to produce his offspring and she would never allow that. Danzo even wanted her, but his reasons were more scientific. He wished to inject her blood into his root members with the desire to create a stronger force to assist his take over of the village. Orochimaru had even chased her at one point. She never gave him the chance to explain why and from what he had produced, she was glad to not know.

They had all known this day would come. She could feel Danzo's chakara growing closer, he may have been forced to agree not to search our her village, but he never agreed not to hunt her when she was out. The snake was near by as well. He would not attack though. He would observe her now and then prepare accordingly before making his move. This would be a battle royal.

Itachi could feel the chakras around him and did not understand why Madara sent him out in front like this. Did he not know that there were three different teams ready to pounce? But those words haunted him, "It will all make sense soon enough." He recognized two of the parties, but the third, he was only familiar enough with to acknowledge bijuu chakara. They were attacking his past home and he hadn't heard of any unrest and wasn't Orochimaru supposed to be dead. Well, he couldn't say that. After all, he'd already died twice. "Ari," a familiar voice rang, making him still.

"Hai, Hime-sama," a softer voice replied, before he was joined on the forest floor by two red headed girls. One had her back to him with her eyes closed. No one spoke or moved as they sensed Madara race closer, followed by the few remaining Akatsuki. He could tell she was waiting, but was shocked that she would wait. He was joined a moment later by the elder Uchiha.

The girl sighed, "So you finally decided to act?" she questioned, still not facing the pair.

A grin crept onto the male's face and seemed extremely out of place. "You haven't disappointed me child. You even brought some other toys. Are you planning to surrender? We both know how this ends," he drawled as he eyed the girl that faced him. She was blindfolded and for good reason. "Ari-san, you're not even the fighting type."

The short haired girl rolled her shoulders as she turned, "No, she's not. But you and I have had this date scheduled for many years now. I believe it's finally time to discuss our relationship my dear uncle Madara." Her eyes were closed, but she had no blindfold. "I apologize Itachi-san, but you leave me no choice," She looked so familiar, but he couldn't remember. Then her eyes opened, revealing brilliant scarlet orbs with large black slits in their center. It all came rushing back, he knew her. His eyes rolled back as he dropped to the ground as the world turned black.

The battle had begun before Itachi had even hit the ground. Silver's eyes flickered into a brilliant white with black tomos as she lunged. Her claws extended as her hands glowed. The snarl that left her told her relative just how serious she was. Her first attack phased right through him, but she smirked as a wall of chakra sent him flying away from the younger Uchiha. She made one seal before vanishing. A clone appeared next to Ari, "Do what you must, I will protect you." Her cousin nodded before setting to work on the Uchiha, much rested on her shoulders.

The hime had no interest in showing her best moves first. She knew how he fought and knew she just had to keep him from Ari for a few minutes, then she could go on the offensive. If he thought she would beat him, he would flee. The Uchiha slowly rose to his feet. "Unexpected. You have improved," he praised, "but not enough." Sharingan blazing, he waited for her charge. It didn't take long before she raced towards him. She sent a punch towards his face that he easily caught, then she twisted her body to slam her leg into his head. When he phased to avoid the hit, her hand slipped free and she dropped to a hand stand before feeling her other foot connect with his gut. He grunted as he stumbled back slightly.

"You should know better than to take on a fox in Taijutsu," she mocked, grinning with a hand on her hip, "You'll never convince me with such simplistic moves." His expression grew dark and the red head gulped nervously. Regardless of her current skill, a ticked off Uchiha was never good.

"Perhaps you would like to go somewhere that we won't harm either of our teams to complete this fight," it wasn't a question and she could merely nod. It was fine though. Ari would have plenty of time to work on Itachi and the rest of her team would keep the others at bay until she was finished.

* * *

"Alright fish boy, you're mine," the male stated as he dropped down in front of the blue skinned male and withdrew his katana.

Kisame gave a grin to the man, "You wanna dance kid?"

The other male laughed, "I'm a couple hundred years too old for dancing. How about a duel instead?"

The swordsman of the mist raised a brow, "You sure old timer? You might break your back."

"I'd be more worried about you kid," with that said, Kisame lunged at the green eyed male, bringing his blade down towards his opponent's head. The other easily blocked the attack and Samehada retreated after feeling the potent chakra of the other. "As I said kid, I'd be more worried about you," the man grinned before withdrawing another katana and tossing to the criminal, "I would rather we continue our swordsmanship contest and I don't believe your blade wishes to be near me."

"Never thought someone so old would be the one to give me a fight I could appreciate," he stated thoughtfully as he rested Samehada against a tree before pulling the katana out, "I'm excited by the prospect. Kisame, one of the seven swordsmen and who might you be?"

The man smiled, fangs showing, "Finally, some manners. Takeshi, Shinobi No Mono squad 3 leader, personal guard and sensei of the hime of Kaiten, it will be a pleasure to duel you Kisame. I'm just glad that the hime has taken your sharingan wielding friends away so we have this opportunity." The shark man grinned his agreement before they charged to initiate their duel.

* * *

"Konan of the Akatsuki, you must be stopped here," a girl stated to the blue haired female before dropping out the trees above. She had long, brown hair and bright gold eyes which matched wonderfully with her dark green Chinese style dress. The paper wielder said nothing as they stared at each other before she began to break apart and tried to fly away once dispersed. "It will not be that easy," the girl warned, before the paper reached a certain point and began to be burned immediately. Konan retreated back to the ground and reassembled to glare at the girl. "This is your opportunity to surrender to me. I am Mihi Kaiju of the village of Kaiten and I have the skills to defeat you swiftly should you wish to fight me."

* * *

Sasori was simply continuing along. He wasn't certain if he was happy to be alive again or not. Regardless, he still hated being late and it was approaching dawn. They would be late in their attack of Kohana at this rate. He drew to a stop when faced with a long haired blond. She was thin and had some of the most brilliant green orbs he had ever seen. She looked like a doll with the smooth facial lines and thin frame covered by a pale green dress that looked more ceremonial than battle ready. He wanted nothing more than to turn her into a puppet and preserve the beauty of art before him. "I am in a hurry, but you will be preserved a living puppet. Come quietly." Her lids slowly closed and reopened over her green eyes.

"That will not be an option and I'm afraid that your plans have been delayed as the rest of your team is a bit preoccupied," her delicate voice sang to him softly, "Perhaps you would rather stay here and play with me." That had to be the most enticing offer he had heard in awhile. Her delicate features would be a perfect addition to his collection and she could be employed in a variety of new ways. It was settled then, he would be late for the attack.

* * *

Deidara flew over the village hidden in the leaves. The sun was rising, they were late. Even Sasori was late and that was unheard of, "Where is everyone?" he yelled from atop his clay bird, foolishly drawing attention to himself.

"Hokage-sama!" an ANBU ran in.

She sighed, "Heighten security, evacuate the civilians, but do not attack unless they attack first. Am I clear?"

"But!" he protested.

"So help me, if anyone attacks first of this side, I will personally beat them to a pulp!" the slug princess screamed at the poor man who nodded before vanishing. "Shizune! I need sake!" she yelled at her assistant who quickly entered with some, knowing better than to do otherwise at a time like this.

* * *

"Fox-san! I can do this myself. I don't need a babysitter," the young man huffed to his elder as they approached the duo.

"We have our orders Takai. So you better shape up," the threatening tone was enough for the younger as they entered a clearing with Hidan and Kakazu. "You get money bags and I get the one you don't take home to mother," Fox stated with a grin causing the black haired boy to burst out laughing.

"Oi! You're just asking to be sacrificed! Allow me to assist!" the offended man yelled before throwing his scythe at the pair.

Kakazu just stared blankly, "If there's no bounty attached, I'm not interested," he stated to the pair before continue on only to be blocked by Takai. "You should leave before I change my mind," he warned, only to have the boy throw a kunai at him. "Fine," Kakazu relented before tossing his hat aside in preparation of the battle.

* * *

**Well, there you go. Chapter 9. I'll be writing more soon. Just have to figure out which battle to start with.**

**~KK**


	10. Chapter 10

Sasori panted heavily, his new toy was making him sweat. Kali hid her face behind a green fan. It was fascinating to watch her against his puppets. All the time he'd spent rebuilding Hiruko was clearly wasted as she merely danced over him placing one light flick with said fan on the head of his armor puppet to split the entire thing in half. He was down to his Performance of a Hundred Puppets and she was continuing to hold her own. "Sasori-san," she nearly purred causing him to falter slightly in his attack. She spun like a dancer and cartwheeled away from the area she was about to be cornered in.

He had never seen anything like this. Kali fought with grace. Utilizing wind chakra to enhance attacks in short bursts. She never attacked from a distance, which seemed to be the only advantage he had. She kept to close range weapons and jutsu. Her dance consisted of specific steps that seemed to be her own replacement for hand signs. Her body continued to curve in some sensual ways as she arched her back to avoid an attack by one of his puppets. Rolling her head left, her right hand wove upwards to push an oncoming blade away from her. Her left foot hooked the puppet with the sword and pulled it towards the ground where it was instantly buried upon her foot touching the ground.

Never had a future puppet been so exciting. Time was passing faster than he expected as he glanced at the sun. A stupid idea as the blond girl threw a kunai at him. He barely got the puppet to block it in time before noticing the explosive tag and thrusting it away right before it blew just close enough for him to be pushed back a few feet.

Kali was faring about the same as the Akatsuki member. He kept her on her toes and she wasn't half certain she could win this fight. This was a battle of wits and she wasn't used to those. She should have approached this fight with a different tactic, but it was too late now. She wasn't prepared for many long ranged attacks. The blond spotted a single hole in the puppets and dropped into the ground before reappearing directly behind Sasori. Taking her one chance, she whipped her closed fan towards his neck in an attempt to finally end this. Sasori smiled as his puppets grabbed hold of her. He turned to face her, "Now my little doll, it is time for you to join my collection. You should feel honored that your talent and beauty will be preserved in my art collection for years to come."

The fox froze, realizing that she had one option left as the puppet master pushed a glass to her lips. Her form shifted instantly as her dress tore and all immediately surrounding puppets were forced either back or to break.

Before Sasori now stood an eight tailed kitsune. Her fur was a golden color and her ears seemed a little larger than what he believed to be normal. A few swishes of her tail and nearly all of his remaining puppets were gone. She growled before pushing him back. "Taking a quick inventory of his remaining collection, he had few options and elected to simply fight with himself. The biggest downside to the cursed jutsu keeping him alive as the lack of a puppet body so he took to dragging a few around with him.

The last bit of the fight would be an even match. Kali's lack of distance being her hindrance and Sasori's ability to die easily. She snapped at him, quickly destroying another puppet, before his coil wrapped around her muzzle. Pulling him forward with the coil only moved the puppet and it was dealt with as well. Kali scratched the now slack coil off her nose before placing a simple seal around the area and releasing one large fireball jutsu. Through her human body. Sasori laid motionless on the ground after the smoke cleared. Kali breathed a sigh of relief, still unsure how she had won. Sifting back to human she check for any kind of pulse, but one again, found nothing. She had done it, she had defeated Sasori of the Red Sand.


End file.
